Roost positioning in 3ft-wide coop - can I get two in there?

[Eri_Oak]

I searched the forums for an answer to this...but wasn't able to find a similar question, so hopefully this post will help others who have small coops too!

My coop is small - 3'x4' - with an attached fully secure run that the birds have access to at all times. The way the coop is designed, my only option for positioning the roosts are along the four-foot wall, which means that there is only a three-foot width to work with. I would like to squeeze in two roosting bars, if at all possible.

What is the minimum distance apart the roosts should be? If I were to place two roosts, each 12" from the wall, that would only leave them around 8" apart. I would be able to put one about 4" higher than the other.

Is this feasible? Or would it be better to just have one roost and have the birds be a little tight? I assume those lowest on the pecking order would get kicked out into the run or onto the floor for the night if there was a squabble over space?

I have five medium sized birds, which are around 8 weeks old. They all appear to be females, so with only one 4' bar it would definitely be tighter than I would like.

To reiterate, there is ZERO option to run the roosts the other way so I *have* to work with the 3ft width.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[DobieLover]

I searched the forums for an answer to this...but wasn't able to find a similar question, so hopefully this post will help others who have small coops too!

My coop is small - 3'x4' - with an attached fully secure run that the birds have access to at all times. The way the coop is designed, my only option for positioning the roosts are along the four-foot wall, which means that there is only a three-foot width to work with. I would like to squeeze in two roosting bars, if at all possible.

What is the minimum distance apart the roosts should be? If I were to place two roosts, each 12" from the wall, that would only leave them around 8" apart. I would be able to put one about 4" higher than the other.

Is this feasible? Or would it be better to just have one roost and have the birds be a little tight? I assume those lowest on the pecking order would get kicked out into the run or onto the floor for the night if there was a squabble over space?

I have five medium sized birds, which are around 8 weeks old. They all appear to be females, so with only one 4' bar it would definitely be tighter than I would like.

To reiterate, there is ZERO option to run the roosts the other way so I *have* to work with the 3ft width.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Can you provide pictures of the interior of the coop? That would help.
Do you have bump out nest boxes?

 

[Eri_Oak]

This isn't my actual coop, but a photo from the manufacturer's website of what the plans call for the inside to look like. The photo is taken from the double doors, which cover the entire fourth wall of the coop, hence the reason there is no option to run the roosts in that direction. The third wall is solid, other than a window similar to what's shown here.

 

[Trisseh]

Can you maybe go diagonally with your roost? Like from corner to corner? I’m not sure how much more space that would give but that dimension would still be greater than the 3’ span... either that or put some posts in at the door side and run 2 the other direction. Lol. Or an L shape, depending on what the dimension is the other direction. Hm. I’m no expert on these things, lol, those are just my thoughts.

 

[DobieLover]

This isn't my actual coop, but a photo from the manufacturer's website of what the plans call for the inside to look like. The photo is taken from the double doors, which cover the entire fourth wall of the coop, hence the reason there is no option to run the roosts in that direction. The third wall is solid, other than a window similar to what's shown here.

View attachment 2391665

Is this a Carolina Coop?
You could run a roost centered across the 4 ft roost parallel to the 3 ft sides. Anchor it against the back wall and cantilever it over the center roost so it reaches the front wall but isn't attached. You may also need to wedge a support post under where they cross.
That would give you 7 ft of roosting space for 5 birds.

 

[Eri_Oak]

Is this a Carolina Coop?
You could run a roost centered across the 4 ft roost parallel to the 3 ft sides. Anchor it against the back wall and cantilever it over the center roost so it reaches the front wall but isn't attached. You may also need to wedge a support post under where they cross.
That would give you 7 ft of roosting space for 5 birds.

Yes it is the California Coop from Carolina Coops.

That's a great idea. I'll buy a 3ft board and see how that works. If I use a 2x4 with the long side up, that might create enough leverage to keep it stable.

Thanks for the idea!